Discover the meaning of the word Sheikh / Old man (شيخ) in the Quran, with 4 verses in which it appears, and a detailed explanation from Al-Raghib al-Asfahani's Mufradat fi gharib al-Qur'an.
شيخ
Sheikh / Old man
Root: ش - خ
Creed (aqida) 4 verses
Updated on 29 May 2026 at 7:00 AM
📖 1 min read
Definition of Sheikh / Old man
One says ash-shaykh for one advanced in age.
Among us, it is also used for one who has acquired wisdom and knowledge.
The Almighty says: 'and our father is very old' (Yusuf 78).
Shu'ayb's daughters said: 'our father is very old' (Al-Qasas 23).
And when he came to the well of Madyan, he found there a crowd of people watering [their flocks], and he found aside from them two women driving back [their flocks]. He said, "What is your circumstance?" They said, "We do not water until the shepherds dispatch [their flocks]; and our father is an old man."
It is He who created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then from a clinging clot; then He brings you out as a child; then [He develops you] that you reach your [time of] maturity, then [further] that you become elders. And among you is he who is taken in death before [that], so that you reach a specified term; and perhaps you will use reason.